The Swiss Stage of the Demacia Cup opened on October 3 with six BO1s (best-of-one) and a single surprise. RED Canids stomped Natus Vincere despite playing without their usual jungler, held back by visa issues, while every other match went the favorites' way, and rarely with any suspense.
Round 2 promises far more drama, with matchups much tighter and harder to call on paper, now played in BO3s (best-of-three). The unbeaten teams play on October 4: RED Canids face KT Rolster, Team WE meet BRO, and LGD Gaming take on BNK FearX.
The 0-1 teams fight for survival positioning on October 5: Natus Vincere against FlyQuest, GAM Esports against Team Vitality, and Shopify Rebellion against JD Gaming. The draw delivered: no region killers, LCK vs LPL and another NA vs EU battle.
The rest of the week follows the Swiss logic. The 2-0 teams meet on October 6 with qualification in sight, the 1-1 matches run on October 6 and 7, and the three 0-2 teams play a same-day round robin on October 7 where only the winner survives. The last-chance deciders on October 8 close the stage before the knockouts move on stage to Beijing. Until then, all matches are played online, starting from 9 AM CEST each day.
